A silver mouse pin cushion valued at £100 has been sold for £780 at a Teddington auctioneers.

Its dumbfounded owner Nikki O’Leary watched with her partner Luke Preece as the auction led by TV celebrity Charles Hanson unfolded.

The antique, which is over 100 years old, had been left in a display cabinet for 40 years and had an estimate of £80 to £120 when it went under the hammer

at The Saleroom at the Normansfield Theatre in Teddington.

Nikki O’Leary of Surbiton said: “The mouse was generating a lot of interest but when I looked up at the auction screen and saw £370 I thought it must be a mistake.

“Then when Charles started saying ‘£460, £480, £500’, and the price kept going up and up, my jaw hit the floor.

“The mouse was given to me by my mother when I was 10 or 12 years old. I’m 60 now so I've had it for 50 years. It's been in a display cabinet for 40 years.

“I’d heard about Hansons London’s valuation office in Hampton Court Village, which is just around the corner from us, so got in touch.

“I like watching Charles on TV, too, so seeing him auction the mouse was the icing on the cake for me.”

Charles Hanson, a regular on Bargain Hunt and Antiques Road Trip, says: “I’m delighted for Nikki. This is the beauty of auctions. Prices can soar beyond all expectations when an item is truly sought after.

“The mouse pin cushion dates back to 1909 and was made by Robert Pringle & Sons of Birmingham.

“Edwardian silver pin cushions are popular and come in many forms but there

is a rarity value to this example.

"It’s unusual to see a mouse pin cushion from this era, hence the strong interest from collectors".